by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 14 schools for Men’s Soccer (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Duke University, our #1 college for Men's Soccer (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Durham, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,942, against $80,673 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Wake Forest University landed the #2 spot for Men's Soccer (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Winston-Salem, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Team revenue averages $97,661 per participant, against $97,661 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division I). Based in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,400, compared with $63,730 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,384 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer (Division I), at #4. Based in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,323, against $41,323 in expenses. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division I). Based in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $23,293 per participant, compared with $25,811 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
High Point University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,618, compared with $35,766 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,469.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did well this year, earning the #7 position. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill records an NCAA APR of 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Team revenue averages $28,116 per participant, compared with $47,370 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,771.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. University of North Carolina at Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $42,922 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $43,045 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,522.
Campbell University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division I). Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,769, against $28,769 in expenses. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division I). Based in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 976, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $32,431 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $32,431 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,667.
Queens University of Charlotte ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division I). Based in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,215, compared with $23,215 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Greensboro records an NCAA APR of 967, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. The program generates about $33,203 in revenue per athlete, against $33,203 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
University of North Carolina Asheville did well this year, earning the #13 position. University of North Carolina Asheville is a public school based in Asheville, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 66%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,858, against $11,858 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,593.
Gardner-Webb University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division I). Based in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 35%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,119, compared with $13,119 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.